


A Get Together to     Remember

by kbraddock



Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers in Space
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Power Rangers Fusion, Angst, Drama, F/M, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Multi-Era, Original Character(s), POV First Person, POV Third Person, Power Rangers Reunion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-27 08:27:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13877031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kbraddock/pseuds/kbraddock
Summary: When a former ranger is taken captive days before a weekend reunion, all anyone can do is sit back and watch his fate unravel before them.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Saban/Disney owns the characters you know. I own the ones you don't.

"You will cross a lot of bridges in your lifetime." My father once told me. "Build them as best as you can, just don't look back when some of them burn."

We were standing in front of the Golden Gate as he said this. I was nine years old, almost ten and he was in one of his many deeply pensive states. I tried to understand but I was a naïve young girl back then. Every time he immersed himself into one of these frames of mind, all I longed to know was what he was truly thinking about.

He adopted me at what I thought was the most vulnerable stage of my life but I didn't know what was in store for me then. He was a well-educated Doctor of Paleontology as well as a single man just full of life, caring and altruistic. Amongst his love for the prehistoric era, he loved his best friend like a brother and he loved me more than anyone else ever had.

Having been adopted himself, he always knew exactly how I felt. He could read me like a book and pick me up like I had never fallen down.

But what lied beneath his surface I could never understand. He kept things from me and he made up stories despite knowing what an intuitive child I was.

For years I never knew a legendary Power Ranger had adopted me and when that mind-blowing piece of knowledge finally came my way everything and I mean everything changed.

And as the saying goes… I wish I knew then what I do now.


	2. Taken

In his basement laboratory, Dr. Thomas Oliver sat behind his desk glaring at what was sitting in front of him. His desk was littered with student exams and bills. With an exasperated sigh, he began grading the next test. He stared at the paper in front of him, leaning back in his chair as he shook his head in disappointment. He had been teaching science for over ten years at Reefside high school, but as much as he enjoyed it, the job was still stressful at times. Grading was especially difficult for him as he hated to give out poor grades, though the upset parents knocking on his door seemed to bother him more. He proceeded to write a 'C-' on the front of the test before setting it back down. 'I am never going to finish all of this.' He thought to himself as he looked at his mess of paperwork.

"Dad!" He heard his daughter call from upstairs.

"Yeah, Jamie?" He yelled back up.

"Can Jason come over for dinner?"

"Yeah, give him a call!" He smiled. It was getting late, so he began to gather the tests and his bills into stacks. He could finish after dinner.

It had been seven years since Tommy Oliver had last worn the all-powerful suit. He was a retired Ranger but he never saw it that way. He had finally settled down and he was satisfied despite his frequent urges to return to duty. He still wanted a woman in his life but since Katherine he had only been on a few dates and never really made an attempt to see someone. His closest friend would probably tell you that Tommy was still caught up on the one that got away.

Aside from that, the desire to have children had always been there for Tommy as well. It was a year after the enemy was defeated when he decided it was safe enough to bring a child into his world. He sought adoption and it was the best decision he had ever made.

When he first saw Jamie Sinclair, she was just eight-years-old, playing with a pair of worn plastic dinosaurs. He had fallen in love with this brown-haired, green-eyed, little girl the moment he saw her. Jamie had lost her mother at a very young age and her father remained in prison, where he had been since she was five.

Now fourteen, Jamie was everything Tommy could have asked for. And although they had grown very close, she knew nothing of his Ranger past and he had planned to keep it that way. But one day he knew he would have to tell her. He couldn't keep hiding it, but he could try.

Jamie was in the kitchen preparing dinner. She had prepared extra pasta before she asked to invite Jason, but that was her secret. She fretted over the boiling noodles and tested the other dishes before leaving the kitchen. Everything would be finished in a few more minutes.

She went into the foyer where Tommy usually left his cell phone to charge. She listened to it ring twice before she heard Jason Lee Scott answer on the other end.

"Hey bro!" He answered. "How's it goin'?"

"Hi Jason! It's me, Jamie." She was already beaming.

"Oh, hey Jamie! How's my favorite Goddaughter doin'?"

"I'm good! Are you busy? I'm almost finished making dinner and wanted to see if you'd like to come over?"

"Yeah, absolutely!" He replied. "Was just finishing up some work on the motorcycle. Tell your dad I'll be there in 15."

"Okay, I will!" Jamie told him excitedly. "See you soon!"

"Alright, see ya Jamie!"

She was overjoyed; it had been over a month since she and Tommy had last seen Jason. They had spent a lot of time together when Jason first moved back to Angel Grove from the east coast but over the years he had gradually become more and more recluse. The cities of Angel Grove and Reefside are fairly close to one another, ten miles just about. Tommy had been thrilled to find out that his best friend of over a decade was going to be so close to him again, not to mention that he would get to be a part of his daughter's life. Tommy had planned to make Jason the Godfather for some time and Jason was more than accepting of the title.

Jamie made sure that she returned her father's phone to the spot she had taken it from: on top of the round, oak table in the foyer. Tommy always left his phone on that table because if he didn't, he would usually forget where he had last placed it or perhaps lose it altogether. Faulty memory was something he had always had.

She returned to the kitchen to finish setting up. It was good that she could cook, because if Tommy prepared all their meals, they would have likely both died of malnutrition.

Tommy had finished organizing his desk and had begun to head upstairs only to be interrupted by a new email that had just popped up onto his computer screen. He would have left it for later had it not been Andros emailing him.

"Greetings fellow Rangers," It read,

"I am sending out a mass email to invite all of you to my Megaship on Friday, November 17th at 6:00 PM, for a weekend of celebration you will never forget. The First Annual Power Rangers Reunion is here. Leo Corbett, of the Galaxy rangers, will be our host as we have a weekend full of festivities, memories, and good fun! The Megaship will be in its usual spot in the Angel Grove forest. Take the back road from Angel Grove Park. I look forward to seeing you all there!

Regards,

Andros of KO-35

'Oh man, this is great… I can't wait to see everyone.' Tommy thought.

"Oh no… what am I going to do about Jamie? Jase is obviously going to go to this too." He said softly.

Tommy was too distracted to notice his daughter standing at the bottom of the staircase.

"What about me?"

Tommy jumped out of his chair and into a fighting stance. He immediately dropped his arms upon seeing who it was that had startled him. She gave him a confused look.

"Jamie you know I don't like being snuck up on!" Old instincts died hard, which meant that "incidents" like this happened more than Tommy felt was acceptable.

"Whoa, Dad! I'm sorry… I didn't mean to scare you."

Tommy turned around to hide the redness of his face as he closed the email from Andros before she could notice.

"What's up?" Tommy asked just before turning back around. He was trying to look nonchalant, but wasn't sure if it was working.

"Oh, I just wanted to let you know that Jason will be here in 15 minutes." She smiled, but her eyes still showed subtle concern.

"Oh… okay, great! I'll be up soon, alright? Tell your Godfather to come down and get me when he gets here."

"I will." She said before turning to make her way back upstairs.

"Oh, and Jamie?" Tommy called out before turning around to face her.

"Yeah, dad?"

"Knock next time, please?" Tommy asked with a slight grin.

She nodded in agreement. "Sorry dad." She replied before trotting back up the stairs.

Tommy waited until he heard the door shut behind him before reopening the email from Andros. He began to wonder how his daughter would take the news if he told her that he hadn't just been one but five different Power Rangers in his lifetime. Jamie was already a huge fan of the Power Rangers when he brought her home. When she was back at the orphanage she heard stories of how the Rangers were always saving the day from monsters and aliens. She often imagined what it would be like to be a Power Ranger but even more so as the Red Ranger. It was the aspect of being in charge that drew her to it.

'Maybe she would think it was really cool having a former Power Ranger for a dad.' He thought to himself.

A little over ten minutes passed as Tommy sat and thought about seeing everyone again. He wondered how they all had turned out. It had been difficult to keep in touch with the majority of them. He had only seen Jason and Billy in the last ten years, with the exception of the Red Ranger team-up he initiated to prevent Serpentera from reactivating. He pulled his chair up closer to his desk as he opened up a folder on his computer. He smiled, looking through photos from his past.

But Tommy then thought he heard movement come from behind him. "Jamie… that better not be you." He didn't receive a response and decided to turn around but no one was there. He sighed; he figured he'd always react like this. After being a Power Ranger for so long it was hard not to think there was always an enemy near and out to get you.

"…Jamie?" He called out again in his stern-dad voice. "I'm not really in the mood to be playing around."

Tommy looked around his lab cautiously before rolling back around in his chair to face his computer again.

But that was all it took.

It all happened so fast. He suddenly couldn't breathe as he struggled to get loose. He pulled himself toward the floor, his attacker falling with him as the chair toppled over with a loud thump. Tommy struggled to break free from the chokehold he was in, but now the attacker had a cloth that reeked of strong chemicals pressed against his face. Tommy reached down for a small switchblade he kept in his side pocket. He stabbed twice before he was let go. Tommy knew he was about to lose consciousness and used every ounce of energy he had to fight it. He crawled towards the stairs, but he quickly succumbed to the darkness that had been awaiting him.

Jamie had been at the sink draining the pasta when she heard commotion coming from downstairs. She quickly placed the noodles back into the pot and dried her hands on the sides of her pants. Jamie went to the door that led to the downstairs lab and knocked aggressively.

There was no answer.

"…Dad?" She yelled, expecting a response this time. But again there was no answer.

She opened the door to the underground lair and laboratory, walking halfway down the steps. The lights had been turned off. Jamie heard the doorbell ring once and for a moment considered answering it, but she continued on down the steps. The light switch was at the base of the staircase.

Jason stood outside. His car had been warm enough but it was definitely one of Reefside's cooler nights. He rang the doorbell two more times.

"Jamie! …Tommy!" Jason tried to peek through the window. He rang the doorbell once more before allowing himself inside.

"Hey, is anyone still living here?" He called out to the seemingly empty home.

Jason was making his way into the kitchen when he heard an awful scream come from down in the lab. He immediately ran to the downstairs door and quickly moved down the steps.

"Jamie!" He yelled on his way down.

He hadn't quite made it down the stairs before he noticed Jamie sitting on the floor shaking and breathing heavily. Her legs had given out at the sight of her father's lab. The room was a complete mess. There were papers scattered all over the floor and the wheel of Tommy's computer chair still spun as it lay on the floor. There had definitely been a struggle, that much Jason knew. And whatever had gone on down there had literally just happened.

It was then that Jason noticed the floor.

Blood... and a good amount of it. But who's was it?

Panic then set in and surged throughout Jason's body. Adrenaline set him on edge, and the panic he felt was the same kind he had felt years ago when he and Tommy were still Rangers. It was the kind of panic only a Power Ranger could feel when something bad had happened to one of their own.

"Tommy… Bro! Are you in here?" He called, walking around the lab quickly as he looked for clues.

But as he expected there was no response.

"I… I just…" Jamie said trying to hold it together.

Jason turned his attention back on her. The look on her face was unbearable for Jason to see. She looked so distraught. Shock had its hold on her more than anything.

"Where is he Jason? …What happened to him?" She managed to get out.

"When was the last time you saw him?" Jason asked in an urgent tone.

"I don't know… about 15 minutes ago I guess. I… I had told him you were coming over for dinner."

The young girl was about to fall apart.

Jason looked back up and around the room. He had only taken one step forward before hearing something crack beneath him. He looked down only to see that he had stepped on his best friend's glasses, shattering one of the lenses. He cursed under his breath. "We need to get out of here. Now." Jason suddenly said.

"What! Are you serious? Shouldn't we be calling the police?" Jamie yelled at him completely outraged and confused.

"No, they aren't going to be of any help to us." He said sternly.

"…What's going on Jason? This is really starting to freak me out."

"Jamie… if you come with me right now, I promise you I will explain everything."

She didn't move from her spot on the floor as she continued to stare at the puddle of blood across the room. Jason then kneeled down to her height and purposely blocked her view.

"I know what you're thinking… and you can't think that way. I learned that a long time ago. But right now the best thing you could do for your dad is to come with me." She didn't respond as Jason kept his gaze on her.

He sighed. "Please come with me, Jamie? …Surely you can trust your Godfather."

There was silence between the two of them for a short period of time. Jamie then looked up at Jason and took in a deep breath. She wiped one of her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket before she finally replied. "Alright."


	3. Unveiling the Past

"You know what's funny Jason?" Jamie asked, breaking the silence. "…I have always felt my dad was hiding something from me." She was staring out of the passenger side window of Jason's car as the sun hit her face in between the trees.

Jason continued to pay attention to the road, fearing that any eye contact made with his Goddaughter would give away his nervousness.

"Really?" He managed to get out.

"Yeah, really… and I think you know what that something is."

Jason had to hand it to Tommy. He raised one hell of a smart girl. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Your dad… well…" Jason paused as he tried to stall. He was wondering if he should just come straight out with it. "He's done a lot of great things, Jamie… and he has helped more people than you'll probably meet in your lifetime."

"Okay? So why would someone take him?"

Jason let out another long breath, preparing himself for the secret he was about to reveal to her. This was a huge revelation to bring into light and he had hoped Tommy would have been the one to confess it.

"Your dad…well…. he used to be a Power Ranger."

He expected a response right away after delivering such big news but no response came. Finally after about a minute or so of silence, Jamie let out a small laugh.

"You know… as my Godfather… you really shouldn't lie to me."

"Lie to you?" Jason asked in disbelief.

"That's what I said." She sharply replied.

He pulled his truck over to the side of the road and flipped on his hazard lights.

"I'd never lie to you." He said as he looked over at her.

"A Power Ranger? Give me a break!" She countered as she crossed her arms. "There is no way! The Power Rangers are famous, I think I would have known by now if I were living with one."

"Jamie… please look at me?" Jason asked in a pleading tone. It took her a moment but when she did turn to face him her demeanor changed. Jason's composure and rigid expression told her he really was being honest. "We will get into all of the specifics later. I will tell you everything you want to know, I promise you. I have never lied to you before and I am not going to start now. But I'd rather it be your dad that tells you his life story. We just need to focus on finding him now."

Jamie's curiosity was starting to peek now as she was beginning to get over the shock.

"Which Ranger was he?"

Jason knew this was going to make her erupt with a million and one more questions. "The green Ranger, the white Ranger, the red Zeo Ranger, the red Turbo Ranger and right before he adopted you he was the black Dino Ranger."

Jamie almost blurted out her next question.

"The green Ranger? …As in the first green Ranger? …But that would mean he was…"

"Yes." Jason simply replied not wanting to delve into conversation on Tommy's first experience with the almighty power. "We broke the spell that he was under and he has been a good guy since."

Jamie didn't know how to process this all. Her dad was a genuine hero and she never knew it. She then realized what Jason had just said. "Wait, 'we'? …Were you a Ranger too?"

"Yes… The one you have a poster up on your wall of actually."

Jason grinned upon seeing Jamie's reaction. She looked star stuck.

"You're the original Red Ranger?" She asked in awe.

He nodded with a grin as he crossed his arms.

She couldn't believe how stupid she felt having never known all of this. She looked back at the road, still trying to wrap her brain around it all.

Jason's grin became a little wider. "You never thought to ask your dad how he got that poster autographed?"

She shook her head. "I always thought he had just signed it himself." Jamie looked back over at him as she grinned too but her look of wonderment quickly changed into one of worry.

"Who would want my dad?"

"I have been trying to figure this out…" Jason's concern for his best friend was starting to build up again. "…All of our enemies are long gone."

"Whoever has him… they aren't going to hurt him, are they?" He looked into Jamie's frightened young eyes for a moment wishing he could be more honest with her.

Jason pulled her in close to him and wrapped his arm around her. He held her head close to his chest as he spoke quietly next to her ear. "I promise I won't let anything happen to him, okay? He will be alright Jamie…your dad is one tough guy to break, trust me."

Jamie formed a slight smile while Jason continued to comfort her. She held onto him for a few minutes before pulling away and re-collecting herself.

"Where are we going now?"

"My place." He replied as he took off down the road again.

He felt himself shiver.

The concrete floor he was currently lying on was freezing cold and he had a terrible taste in his mouth. He felt dazed and extremely nauseous, his throbbing headache making him not want to open his eyes.

He slowly rolled over and placed his hands flat on the floor in a first attempt to get up. He managed to come to a sitting position with his back against a wall. He opened his eyes, blinking continuously as they adjusted to the dim light coming from just above him. He looked around at the metal bars that surrounded him as they slowly came into focus.

And then it hit him.

He had been captured; drugged up, taken hostage and placed into a cage like an animal.

"…Oh man." He said in just above a whisper as he rubbed his temple. "Where am I?"

"I'd say you are right where I want you." A voice spoke up from somewhere in the room.

"Huh?" He said as he got up as quickly as he could. He looked in the direction the voice had come from. "Who's there? Show yourself."

"…Do I really need to, Oliver?"

'I know that voice.' He thought immediately.

"No… Not again." Tommy then said out loud.

"See… I knew you would recognize an old friend." The figure said as it approached Tommy's cell.

"Mesogog."

The old rivals made eye contact. Tommy, for one, wasn't about to take his eyes off his old enemy, once believed to be dead and defeated.

"What a pleasure it is to see you again, Oliver."

Tommy was truly taken aback. His expression was somewhere in between shocked and irritated. Irritated mostly by the fact that his old enemies never seem to stay defeated.

"Why don't you cut the crap Mesogog and tell me what it is you want."

"Feiiiiissstty." Mesogog said in his prolonged tongue. He now had his back to Tommy.

"You know… I do hope you got the chance to tell Mr. Scott and your daughter how much they mean to you."

Tommy could feel the rage building inside of him; he was like a volcano ready to burst.

"If you go near either of them, …I swear-"

"Oh, it is not them you should be worried about Dr. Oliver…" Before Tommy could further inquire, Mesogog spoke once more. "I would be more concerned for yourself now."

If Mesogog could smile, he would have been doing so that very minute. Upon seeing Tommy's reaction to his previous words, he now knew he finally had his oldest and greatest adversary right where he wanted him. It was only a matter of time before Tommy would realize that he had no way of getting out of this.

"Whatever you think you are about to get away with… it's not going to happen." Tommy was starting to breathe a bit harder. "The Power Rangers always win."

"The Power Rangers are a joke." Mesogog retorted quickly. "It doesn't matter what you say now Oliver... No one will be able to come to your rescue in the end, not after we're through with you."

Tommy was about to respond when he realized what Mesogog had just said.

"…We're?" Tommy questioned.

Mesogog said nothing. Instead, he walked back over to the dimly lit doorway. Tommy was about to yell after him when he heard the door close.

He was alone again.

"I have got to get out of here."

Tommy knew that at this point, the chances of rescue were slim to none. The Rangers would be having their reunion soon and there was no way he was going to miss that. But how was he going to get back home?

'Maybe there is a portal around here.' He wondered.

He paced around his cell. Before he could think about his situation any further he found himself falling to the ground once again.

"…what the?"

He pulled out a small kit he always carried in the side pocket of his cargo pants. He then took out a small flashlight from the kit. With his mouth slightly ajar and his eyes now wide, he gasped as he realized that what he was looking at appeared to be bones. But bones from who or what, he didn't know. He shone the flashlight around the room. Dry blood. Dry blood clung to every inch of this place. He was beginning to panic some, as he realized that he wasn't just facing his old foe again, but a whole different version of him. Mesogog no longer cared about world dominance… he wanted revenge, and with this revenge there would be bloodshed.

As Tommy's breathing became even heavier, he felt nervousness come onto him at a rapid rate. But he had to keep it together. He had to make it out of this alive. He had been in these situations before, but something about where he was right now was making him feel really uneasy.

His next words echoed throughout the room.

"…What am I going to do?"


	4. Anticipation

"Well, I have sent out all of the RSVP's Ashley." Andros, the Red Space Ranger said with a smile.

"It's about time! The event is a week away. I didn't know you could be such a procrastinator." She gave him a playful look before continuing. "So who has RSVP'ed so far?"

Ashley loved big events like this; everyone always had so much fun. She had already decorated most of the Astro Megaship. Andros thought she had gone a little overboard with the streamers but he wasn't about to say anything to her about them.

"Well… let me see here." He replied as he pulled up his email.

"The Galaxy rangers have all RSVP'ed, so have pretty much everyone from the original teams up to us. Unfortunately I haven't heard anything back from the Time Force, Lightspeed, Wild Force, and Ninja Storm teams. The Dino team is coming though. At this point I don't think the others kept in contact after their ranger days."

"Aren't the Dino Rangers the ones who were mentored by Tommy?" Ashley inquired.

"Yeah." He smiled. "Zordon would be proud of him."

Ashley was a bit surprised, not only at Andros's words but also by his expression too. Most of the time whenever Zordon was brought up he would leave the room or refocus on something else. That was how it had been for years. It had been quite some time since Zordon had passed but Andros had had a hard time forgiving himself. Maybe this was the first sign of him accepting that he wasn't at fault for Zordon's death.

Ashley patted him on the back. "He definitely would be… but I know he would be just as proud of you too."

Andros looked up at her with a heartfelt grin. "Thanks, Ash."

She bent down to give him a hug but was instead pulled into a kiss.

As Andros let go of her cheeks, their lips pulled apart and once again Andros smiled at her. "How about we grab some dinner and spend the rest of the evening together? We can always come back to decorate and prepare some more later."

Ashley matched Andros's expression. "Sounds good to me."

Jamie looked around at Jason's studio apartment. She was surprised that it was only her first time in there but Jason was definitely a private kind of guy.

"Hey Jamie! Help yourself to whatever is in the fridge." Jason yelled from the other room.

"You know… that pasta had turned out really well. Sauce and all." She responded as she opened up a bottle of water.

Jason walked out into her view.

"I'm sorry we had to leave so quickly. I know you had a great dinner planned."

Jamie continued to look down at her feet.

Jason wanted to say something more but didn't know what at this point. He didn't have much experience these days when it came to talking to 14-year-old girls. Instead he went over to one of his kitchen drawers and began rummaging through its contents.

"What are you looking for?" She piped up.

"My communicator." He responded after giving a frustrated grunt.

"What will that do?" She asked.

"If I can find it, I'll be able to get in contact with someone that may be able to help us find your dad." He paused and looked up from the counter top.

"That's it!" He suddenly announced and left the room once more. Jamie heard some noise coming from the other room before he returned about a minute later with a wooden chest. He opened it up and the first thing he saw was Tommy's old Zeo morpher. He had given it to Jason a number of years ago before he moved away for college; he was afraid of something happening to it. Jason wondered for a second if he should show it to Jamie but opted against it.

"Did you find it?" She asked as she saw him quickly stuff something back into the bottom of the chest.

He continued to delve through all of the trinkets he had collected over the years. "Still looking."

There were a few cassette tapes Zack had given to him as well as an old photograph. He pulled the photo out and instantly smiled. It was the one Ernie had taken of the six original rangers. Himself, Kim, Trini, Zack, Billy and Tommy were all huddled together in front of the youth center. Jason remembered that day well. The young teenagers were beaming as they held Ernie's famous smoothies in their hands. It was the day they found out Tommy would be joining them again as the White Ranger. Jason's smile soon faded as he looked at the girl in yellow. It had been close to a decade since they had lost Trini and not a day went by when he didn't miss her.

"Yes!" He exclaimed with much relief after reaching back into the chest. He now had his communicator in his hands. He immediately placed it on his wrist and brought it up to his lips.

"Hey… this is Jason… Anyone come in?" He paused and then spoke once more. "Anyone read me? …Hello?"

Again Jason got no response.

"So what do we do now?" Jamie inquired.

"We keep trying."

She gave a small sigh as she listened to Jason further speak into his communicator. She felt like she could be doing more than just sitting there waiting for something to happen. But something told her that this was just the beginning and ultimately patience would end up giving her some sort of result. She was now starting to fully comprehend just how much her life had changed, and more importantly how different it would be for the rest of her life. The one person who really cared for her and took her in not only used to be a Power Ranger, but a legendary one at that.

And now he was just gone.

(Planet of Mirinoi)

"I am so betting on Leo screwing up somehow at this thing. He'll definitely forget a line or something." Damon said with a small laugh.

"I'll get in on that." Kai added.

"Very funny guys… so glad I have the loving support of my closest friends." Leo shot back, half annoyed.

"Leo is going to do a fantastic job at the reunion!" Mike said happily as he walked into the room.

"Thanks Mike… At least I know someone always has my back." Leo replied as he patted Mike on the shoulder.

"Oh, no problem baby brother. But just so you know, I'm going to have to get in on this bet too." He laughed as Leo instantly dropped his arm and glared at them all.

"Hey, do you think Cassie is going to be there?" Kai asked a little uneasily.

"Relax Kai, I'm sure your one true love will be there." Maya added with a huge smile.

Kendrix then emerged from the hallway. "Yeah, do you want me to call her to ask if she's going?"

"No, no… that's fine." Came Kai's quick response as his face turned as red as Leo's shirt. "And she is not my one true love either. We're just friends."

Kai looked away from the group as they all grinned.

"Well, I had better get going. I still need to find a suit to wear to this thing." Leo announced as he stood and grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl sitting on the table.

"Hey! Make sure you get one that's entirely in red, alright?" Damon yelled after him, trying not to laugh. "You can even holster your Quasar Saber on the side!" But everyone joined in the laughter after that as Leo merely scowled at the group before making his exit.

The room had been quiet for over ten minutes now. Jason sat on the sofa with his head back trying to figure out what to do next. No one had answered his calls by means of his communicator and he didn't have most of his friends' numbers anymore.

He knew his constant moving around was somewhat to blame for his lack of communication with the others. But everyone had his or her own life to live too. Jason stared at the ceiling and began to lose himself in his thoughts.

Jamie sat on the recliner opposite of him. She had been slowly peeling off the label on her water bottle. Jason let out a slight sigh. He just couldn't believe something like this was happening again. He looked down at his communicator. It was a bit nostalgic for him to see it occupied on his wrist again.

'One more try.' He thought, as he held the communicator up to his lips once more.

Jamie looked up at him, surprised he was going to attempt contact with someone again.

"Come in! Anyone! We have a problem. This is…"

"-Jason?" Came the sound of another man's voice answering back.

"Adam? Is that you?"

"Yeah, man!" He excitedly replied. "What's up? I wasn't expecting to hear anyone on this thing again!"

"I know, I'm sorry… I just needed to get in contact with Andros. Can you ask Carlos to give him my communicator frequency? Tell him to contact me immediately."

"Yeah, I'm on it. Is everything okay?" Jason's tone was making Adam feel concerned.

"It will be." Jason replied. "Thanks, man."

"No problem." Came Adam's response. "Will I see you at the reunion?"

"…Of course." Jason told him a little wearily. "I'll see ya then, Adam."

The two exchanged formal goodbyes before ending the call.

Jason laid back against the sofa once again, this time feeling a bit less anxious. Something was actively being done now to locate Tommy.

"Who's Adam?" Jamie questioned after a short while.

Jason looked over at her with a somewhat questionable expression. "I think it's time for you to watch an old video."

"A video of what?"

Jason got up to go pull out his copy of the video Hayley showed Tommy's students just after getting their Dino powers.

"Let's just say a lot of your questions will be answered."

"You have an incoming message from Carlos on Earth." The Megaship's computer programmed assistant informed Cassie and TJ.

"Alright, Deca." TJ responded as the video screen in front of them came on and an image of Carlos's face could now be seen.

"Hey guys."

"Hey yourself." Cassie began. "You've been a bit of a stranger these days, Carlos."

"Yeah, man… What have you been up to lately?" TJ asked right after her.

Carlos had been a bit AWOL so to say, since his days as a Ranger. He had gone through many years of schooling to become an RN and had been working in the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in San Diego for the past six years.

"I will have to catch up with you guys at another time." Carlos replied before clearing his throat. "I am calling because Adam contacted me earlier."

"About what?" TJ asked as he walked a little closer to Carlos's screen.

"To inform Andros that he needs to contact Jason as soon as possible. He said it was urgent. I'm not really sure what's going on, but Adam said Jason seemed stressed and worried... I just sent over his communicator frequency."

"Alright, we'll let him know, Carlos." Cassie replied with a stern look.

"I'll see you guys at the reunion, okay?" Carlos added soon after her.

"Sounds good. See you then buddy." TJ responded.

Carlos's face then disappeared from the viewing screen.

"Well that was definitely a short-lived conversation." Cassie said with a perplexed look.

"I am going to go inform Andros… this seems serious." TJ announced before leaving the room.

"Knock first! You know they're both in there together!" She stated with a grin.

TJ rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

(Andros's Quarters)

"…Andros?" Ashley asked softly.

"Yeah?"

"I really love being with you. Just lying here next to you feels so right, you know?"

He spoke softly into her ear. "…I know. I feel the same way, Ash."

They continued to spoon as Andros began to kiss her neck.

"… Promise me you'll never leave me?"

Andros stopped as he attempted to sit up a bit. He was looking down at her as she turned over to face him.

"Why are you asking me that, Ashley?" He felt a little perturbed as he examined her expression.

"It's just… we were one of the only groups of Rangers that actually got to keep our powers after we defeated our enemy. I just want to be certain that the power won't be the thing that takes you away from me for good… I don't want to worry about losing you in a battle or a fight ever again."

"I won't use the power again; you know that. But I hope you understand that the power will always remain within us."

"I know… I just-"

"I'm not going anywhere." He interjected. "I am right where I should be, with you."

She smiled before the two of them inched in for another kiss. They almost managed one kiss before they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Yes?" Andros asked out loud in an annoyed tone.

"It's TJ. I just needed to tell you that Jason is trying to get in contact with you. It sounded really urgent."

Andros looked back down at Ashley with clear disappointment in his face. He got up to walk over to the door.

"Did he say what this was about?" Andros asked as his door slid open.

"He didn't give Adam the specifics apparently. Here is the frequency Carlos sent to me." TJ finished as he handed Andros a small piece of torn paper.

"Alright, thanks TJ." Andros replied before inputting the numbers necessary to reach Jason via communicator.

As TJ left, Andros turned back around to see Ashley's saddened expression.

"Leaving?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah, but only for a little while. I am going to call Jason to see what this is about and then I'll come right back. We will still have our evening together, I promise." He pulled his boots back on and kissed her on the cheek.

"Alright." She said as he quickly made his way out of the room and down the hall. She got up and walked across the room to the only window in Andros's quarters. Ashley wondered for a moment just how many times she had stood there and looked out of that same oval window. She thought she would never get tired of seeing space as close as she had been for the last decade. She had seen so much she felt like Doctor Who, only without the time travel. Unlike her and the others still aboard the ship, Carlos had been the only one to stay on Earth to pursue his goals. But now she was feeling like she should have gone back to Earth a long time ago. They would be arriving there in the next few days.

'Maybe I'll stay this time.' She thought to herself. 'But will Andros stay too?'

Little did Tommy know that the video he created to have a history of the Power Rangers, was now being viewed by his 14-year-old daughter. Jamie sat bug-eyed as her attention remained focused on the video in front of her. Jason sat across from her on the smaller sofa. He was feeling a lot of mixed emotions watching the video at such a dire time. His anxiety grew seeing and hearing about some of the enemies he used to face.

'It could be any of them.' He thought to himself.

He hoped above all that it wasn't Rita who was responsible for Tommy's disappearance. The last thing Tommy needed was a reminder of his days as the evil green ranger. To this day he still had a lot of guilt surrounding his actions during that time.

The video finished as he looked over at Jamie for her reaction.

"Well that explains a lot." She said with a neutral expression.

"I hope you understand now how serious this is."

"He should have told me the truth." She stated with a bit of bitterness in her tone.

Jason looked away and collected his thoughts before continuing. "I know you're feeling confused, hurt, sad and every emotion in between, but we can't let our emotions get the best of us. Your dad needs us right now, and I-" He was interrupted by the sound of his communicator.

The two of them looked at each other anxiously before Jason answered the call.

"This is Jason."

"Jason, this is Andros. I heard you needed to speak with me?"

Jason let out a sigh of relief before continuing, "Thanks for getting back to me, man. We have a bit of a situation."

Andros was definitely concerned at this point. After all, it wasn't often you got an urgent call from the original red ranger.

"Whatever you need." He responded in a strong tone.

"Tommy is missing and I am almost certain he has been taken captive. He was last seen earlier this evening around five. I don't know who is responsible at this point for his disappearance, but there was definitely an intruder down in his lab before I got there. The place was a mess."

Jason's words all came out so fast.

"I will search everywhere I can for him, Jason. Don't worry, I'll begin right now."

"Thanks, Andros. You don't know just how much I appreciate this."

"Don't worry about it. I'd do anything for my fellow rangers. I'll contact you as soon as I find something." Andros responded as he began his walk to the main control room.

"Oh, and Andros… can we keep these between us? With the reunion coming up, everyone will be so happy… I don't want to spring this on them."

Andros was taken aback momentarily. He had assumed that Jason would want everyone in on the search. He had mixed feelings about it, but he knew he had to respect Jason's wishes.

"No problem. You have my word." Came Andros's response. The call ended just as he had reached the main control room. He quickly walked over to the computer and began the search for Tommy's whereabouts. Something told him finding Tommy was the least of his problems. It would be the discovery of whoever has him now that made Andros uneasy. This might mean returning to duty, but with his recent promise to Ashley to never return to Rangering, he had no idea what was in store for him.

He began the scan. "Okay Tommy… where are you?"

"This Andros guy is going to find my dad, right?"

"Hopefully." Was all Jason said.

"What do you mean, hopefully?" Jamie asked, growing a bit impatient.

"There is no guarantee that Andros will locate him, Jamie. He could be anywhere. We just have to hope Andros gets us a lead."

"So while he's searching for my dad, we're supposed to just sit here and wait?"

She looked away from Jason and down at the floor almost immediately. Her arms were crossed over at this point.

"Jamie, you have got to trust me. Everything will be okay, we just have to get through this first."

"How do you know?" She yelled back at him, her eyes staring right into Jason's now. "How do you know it will all be okay when you don't even know where he is!" She was on the verge of tears; Jason could see that much.

He was about to respond but was cut off.

"You know… I see that look on your face. You try to hide your worry from me but I see it." She paused before continuing, "And I know there are a lot of things I still don't know… But I am not a child anymore so don't treat me like one!" Jamie got up from the recliner as she finished.

Jason stood up as well causing her to retreat a few steps.

"I am really trying here Jamie… I know how scared you are, but so am I. We have to stay strong and support each other. You're right… I can't be certain that everything will turn out fine but how would we get through this without that hope?" He could see she wasn't fully listening.

"Something bad is going to happen to him… I just know it." She let out a small cry, as she looked to Jason's right and took off toward the bathroom. Her emotions were starting to get the best of her.

Jason decided it was best he let her be alone for a little while. She would come out of there when she was ready. He went back to the couch and laid down on his back, extending his hands up and under the back of his head. He began to drift off into a light sleep; thoughts of Tommy and how the reunion would be flooded his mind. He decided it be best to try and sleep now because sooner or later… he wouldn't have the option to.

Tommy had been sitting inside his cell for well over two hours. Mesogog still hadn't returned after his previous departure. He had been so hungry before his capture, but now he didn't feel like he had an appetite at all. His main concern now was how he would make it out of there safely. There was no guarantee Jason would be able to locate him. Before he could think any further the door to his left flung open and at least a dozen Tyranodrones marched in. Mesogog followed and the lights then went off. Tommy listened for the door to close but it never did. At this point all he could see was pitch black.

"Alright, what kind of game are you playing here Mesogog?" Tommy practically yelled. He then heard the door to his cell creak open.

"Go!" Mesogog yelled.

He could hear the footsteps all around him. He felt a strong kick go into his calf, knocking him halfway down. As his knees hit the floor he grabbed a hold of one the cell bars to hold himself up. But before he could defend himself, he felt another kick go into the middle of his back. The full force of the kick was definitely felt as his body flung to the floor; the side of his face now on the frigid stone. What he felt next he hadn't felt in years. His head felt like it was on fire as Mesogog steered all of his energy at Tommy's skull. Even if he could see Mesogog at this point, he definitely wouldn't have been able to retaliate.

"Beg me to stop, Oliver." Mesogog yelled down at him.

Tommy's cries could have been heard from a mile away. But Mesogog wouldn't let up.

"No!" He yelled back. "I won't…"

"You don't want to kill him just yet Mesogog. After all… he's the only collateral we have with those silly rangers at this point."

Tommy could barely make out this new being's words, but 'collateral' was definitely one he had heard. Suddenly he felt the energy leave him as he clutched the sides of his head, still feeling the remnants of it all. A small light that illuminated the inside of Tommy's cell then came on.

"Open your eyes, Tommy boy!"

'That voice…' He thought to himself before opening his eyes slightly. His blurry vision adjusted to the light only to reveal Divatox hovering over him.

He continued to lay on his side. 'How is she here?' He wondered. As much as he wanted to, he was unable to form any words at this point. She suddenly kicked his stomach with the end of her boot, sending him onto his back. He instantly coughed; a small amount of blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. He groaned as he looked up at Divatox again with squinted eyes. The Tyranodrones hoisted him up onto his knees as his head hung low.

"Already too much for you, Oliver?" Mesogog asked as he walked around Tommy.

"It's just the beginning!" Divatox said quickly after him with a huge grin.

"Now… I am betting you're already in shock that I have brought back one of your oldest enemies Oliver, but you see… I need to reintroduce you to some others as well."

Tommy still hadn't looked up from the floor. It was too difficult.

"Ah, in the position I like to see you in the most, Tommy… cowering and vulnerable." Another voice finished saying.

'It can't be…' Tommy thought before slowly picking his head up.

Standing there before him was Lord Zedd. With his staff and all, he stood beside Mesogog and Divatox.

"I don't believe this…" Tommy stated in a quiet tone.

As if Tommy couldn't feel any more shocked than he already was, another voice spoke from behind the shadows of the room. "Believe it, my old friend."

Tommy looked over into his or her direction before the being stepped out into view.

"No…" Tommy said disbelievingly. His mouth hung ajar as he stared wide-eyed at the new being before him.

"It's good to see you again, Thomas." The being stated.

Her voice was just as annoying as it ever had been.

"Rita…" Tommy just couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"I bet you never thought you would be seeing my gorgeous face again, did you?"

"How could I ever forget that face." Tommy replied nastily with a glare.

"Hold him still!" Rita ordered the Tyranodrones.

She came up to Tommy and hit him hard against the side of his face with the end of her staff.

Tommy grunted instantly. That one really hurt and it was evident it had as blood was now coming down the side of his face from his hairline. His head swung back to the center where it had been before. The hit had left him feeling disoriented. Rita grabbed his face hard; her hand under his chin as their eyes met once more.

"You're in for a real treat, Tommy."

He got up enough strength to pull his head away from her clutched fingertips. He couldn't bear to look at her any longer.

"A real treat indeed, if I may add."

Tommy didn't even want to look. He knew right away who had said those words.

"Such a pleasure to see my favorite Power Ranger again." Prince Gasket said with amusement, as he too walked out to join the group.

Tommy couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Any more of you I should know about?" He asked as he looked up at them all, his grin still visible.

"Actually… there is." A sixth being added before walking in to join the group.

Trakeena now stood next to Rita, all six of them now looking down at Tommy.

"See Oliver… I just felt our mutual friends deserved an invite to the reunion too." Mesagog stated in a deep tone.

Tommy took in a small, yet painful breath before responding. "They aren't going to hand themselves over to you without a fight. They'll always win… haven't you learned that by now?" As he finished that sentence he directed his glare at Gasket, Zedd and Rita.

"But you see Tommy… they're all fools. They will choose their loyalty above everything… they will choose to save you." Zedd spoke up.

Tommy wasn't about to give Zedd the satisfaction of being right. He knew his friends would do all that they could, but just how far were they willing to go? The damage these six could do together would be catastrophic.

"So… you're using me as bait then? …Real original."

"You know… I wouldn't give us any more reason to hate you more than we already do, Tommy boy. I mean, you nearly sliced off my beautiful left hand with that silly little knife of yours."

"You?" Tommy asked in shock as he looked up at her. "You drugged me? I didn't know you had it in you, Divatox… Way to take the coward's way out by coming at me from behind."

"Does this knife have any meaning for you? Divatox asked as she surveyed the outside of the knife. Engraved on it were the initials D.T.

"Yes actually, I think you should give it back to me." Tommy replied, half-annoyed as his anger started to build up more and more.

"I think I'll hold onto it for you instead." She responded with a smile.

He couldn't stand the thought of her holding the only thing he had left of his brother David's. He had given Tommy that knife just weeks before a drunk driver hit the side of his car near the reservation. The accident resulted in his death.

"I'm starving, Zeddy! Let's eat already." Came Rita's high-pitched squeal.

"Shut your trap, you relentless woman! Mesagog gives the orders here. After all, we owe our lives to him." Zedd was clearly aggravated.

"Why thank you, Zedd…" Mesagog slowly spoke. "Let him go, and lock up. We will be back."

He made his way for the door as the Tyranodrones dropped Tommy and locked his cell door.

Tommy sat up slowly, clenching his stomach. "What… that's it?!" Tommy yelled angrily.

"For now…" Prince Gasket responded as Trakeena laughed, the two of them being the last ones to leave. The door shut behind them, leaving Tommy alone in the dark once more.

"Oh God…" He whispered in a desperate tone. "This can't be happening."

He couldn't even think straight as his breathing became rapid and he began to panic. In all of his years as a Ranger, he had never been knocked down so easily. The beating he had just taken was only the beginning and he knew that. But he wasn't sitting there knowing his friends would find him and come to his rescue like they always had. He couldn't feel the strength he had displayed for so many before, the strength that had pulled him out of one too many situations. No… this time was different.

This time he was genuinely afraid for his life.


	5. Whereabouts Unknown

The sounds of computers, arcade games, milk steaming from the espresso machine, and teenage chatter could be heard throughout the Cyber Café. Hayley was working hard making sure everyone got his or her drinks in a timely fashion.

"Trent!"

The young man with frazzled black hair turned around to see his boss's all too familiar look of 'I'm going to kill you if you don't get over here right now.'

Trent wasted no time as he jumped down from one of the swivel chairs and made his way behind the counter.

Ethan, Connor and Kira sat at one of the tables in the back as they watched the two move quickly to serve all of their customers.

"Wow, this place got super busy out of nowhere, huh?" Kira said as she looked over at Connor.

"Yeah, I wonder where they all came from."

"I have no idea, but I am going to go snag one of those arcades before someone else does." Ethan stated as he got up and quickly made his way over to a popular fighting game. The two of them watched him walk over to the game before continuing their conversation from earlier on which movie to go see the next day.

With the exception of Trent, who had stayed in Reefside to make a name for himself there with his art, the others had all left the city after they defeated Mesogog. Kira had hit it big with her music, producing four albums in the last five years. Ethan had gone on to finish school, acquiring a Masters Degree in Computer Technology and was responsible for the very first 3D video game that was currently being sold all over the world. Connor's dream of playing professional soccer had fallen through only two years into it. He had met a girl in Washington State and had been living there since. To everyone's surprise he was now training to become a commercial pilot.

"Thanks, have a good one." Trent told the stranger on the other end of the counter. The gentleman nodded with a smile before taking a sip of his drink and heading out the door. Trent took the washcloth and cleaned off the counters before looking over at Hayley.

"That was nuts." She said as she drank some of her iced tea.

"Yeah it was." He responded before tossing the washcloth into the sink.

Hayley reached over and picked up the café phone. After about a minute or so she placed it back on the receiver.

A disturbed look came over her face. "You know…" She stated looking over at Trent. "Tommy hasn't answered his phone in a few days now."

"Maybe he took Jamie somewhere? Like out camping or something."

Hayley gave him a frustrating look. "I have neverknown Tommy to just up and leave without telling anyone, Jamie has school too."

"Well… why don't you go over and see if he's there?"

"I think I will." Hayley said as she disappeared into the back room. She returned with her apron and purse in her hands.

"You can hold down the fort right?"

"Of course." He replied with a warm smile.

"Alright, well if it gets really busy again ask Kira to help you, alright?"

"I've got it Hayley, don't worry." He warmly reassured her.

She smiled before turning toward the others in the back.

"I'll see you guys later!" She yelled over to Conner and Kira.

"See ya!" Conner yelled back as Kira waved. Ethan was still too absorbed in his game to notice the exchange of goodbyes.

"Huh, I wonder where she is off to."

"I don't know but at least I can finally change the channel!" Conner said excitedly.

He picked the remote up and turned it to a live soccer game going on in Brazil.

Kira sighed. 'Some things never change.'

____________________

Andros sat at the computer with a stern look on his face. He had been searching for Tommy's whereabouts for days now.

"Hey you!" Ashley said as she came from behind him and placed her hands on her shoulders.

Andros jumped at the feel of her touch. "Hi Ashley." He replied in a slightly disturbed tone as he got out of his chair and turned to face her.

He stood in front of the computer with his back to the monitor.

"I'm sorry… I just haven't really seen you in the past few days. I wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine, Ash. I have just been working on this thing for Jason, is all."

Her curiosity peaked. "You want to give me a hint?"

"It's nothing. Really… I do need to finish it though."

"Will you at least come to bed tonight? I hate sleeping without you next to me."

"Sure." He gave a slight smile but continued to look anxious.

"Alright, well I'll see you later then?" She concluded in a hopeful tone as she kissed his cheek.

"Definitely." He replied with a smile. "I'll see you a little later."

She nodded as she walked backward a few steps and made her exit into the hall.

Andros sat back down. His efforts to locate his predecessor were going nowhere it seemed. He didn't want to call Jason until he had good news.

'I just need a power surge of some sort.' He began to think again. If anyone or anything used any sort of energy he'd see it on his screen. Finding the location depended on how long they used the power though. All he could continue to do was wait.

_____________________

Hayley had finally reached the Oliver residence. The first thing she noticed was Tommy's jeep parked in the driveway.

'If Tommy's car is here, he must be too.'

She walked up to the door and rang the bell. She waited almost a minute after no answer before reaching for the knob. The door swung open and she walked inside feeling nervous all of a sudden.

"Tommy? …Jamie?" She asked the seemingly empty home, her voice echoing throughout.

As she walked through the living room to the kitchen she noticed a pot full of pasta sitting on the stove. The smell of it wasn't too pleasant.

"How long has this been sitting here?"

Her worry was increasing with every minute.

"Tommy! …Jamie!"

Hayley decided she would check the lab after not getting a response for the second time.

She pulled the mouth down on Tommy's replica t-Rex skeleton that sat on the table in the foyer. A moment later the hidden entrance to the lab opened up for her from the oak floor.

She hurried down the stairs only to discover the same scene Jason and Jamie had witnessed just days earlier. She didn't make a single movement after her foot came off of the last step. Her eyes wandered around the room.

"Oh my God…" She said as she looked down at the floor in front of her. She bent down to pick up Tommy's broken glasses. She examined them and then looked over at his desk.

"Who did this?" She quietly asked herself.

But then she noticed the blood. Practically dry now but still present on the stone floor nevertheless.

That did it for her. She was about to feel sick to her stomach and wasted no time as she dug into her pocket for her phone. She dialed the only person she could think of contacting.

____________________

The rich smell of his dark roast coffee was penetrating his nostrils as he sipped from it and read the morning news on his phone. It was so satisfying knowing all he could do for that moment was drink his coffee. He had unfortunately endured another sleepless night. He continued to read some of the local headlines before coming across one that stood out in particular.

"Five young people were kidnapped from outside a popular club in Reefside last Tuesday at around 8:10 PM. Their current whereabouts are unknown, but as of now, witnesses say the group disappeared in a beam of green light."

Jason's concentration was broken as he heard the refrigerator door open.

"You're out of eggs."

"Well good morning to you too, Jamie."

He looked up from his phone as he watched his Goddaughter pull up a chair next to him, a bowl of cereal in her hands.

"It's not good." She said in a somber tone.

"You have to stay positive, Jamie."

"I don't want to hear that crap anymore." She said just before taking a bite of her breakfast.

Jason still had his gaze fixed on her as she continued to look down at the bowl in front of her.

"I'm never going to see him again. He's gone… just like everyone else in my life. And now I am stuck with you because of it."

Jason was astounded by her words. "How could you say something like that? To be so quick to assume." He paused, thinking hard about what his next words were going to be. "I'd think you would give your dad a little more credit than that. Besides… he has been in far worse situations."

"How can you say that when you have no idea what's going on?" She cut in angrily.

Jason looked to his left and shook his head gently. He exhaled slowly through his nose before looking down at his cup of coffee.

"You're right… I don't know. But Jamie, it's like I told you yesterday… in times like this the only thing I can do is try to be optimistic and have hope. I honestly don't know where I would be today if I didn't have that."

She remained silent as she used her spoon to isolate the marshmallows in her Lucky Charms.

He moved closer to the table and grasped his cup as if he were about to take another sip, but instead spoke once more in a softer tone. "You can't keep lashing out at me like this. We have to be on the same side here. Because you know… if something bad does happen to him, you really are stuck with me. And I don't think that's all that bad considering I love you like a father would already."

Jamie had stopped eating by this point; her eyes focused on the saltshaker on the table. She felt the anger subside only to be replaced by sadness and guilt.

She looked over at Jason, making eye contact with him for the first time since their conversation had began.

"I'm sorry, Jason… I know I haven't been the easiest to deal with." She said to him with half a smile, "I want to be on the same side."

Jason smiled back at her as he motioned for her to get up. He once again pulled the young girl into a hug, "We're going to make it through this and so will he… you'll see."

The pounding now occurring on Jason's front door interrupted the touching moment.

"Jason! Open up!" A voice yelled.

He hurried to the front door as Jamie followed. "Stay back." He said as he extended his arm in front of her. He opened the door to reveal a frantic, redheaded woman on the verge of a total breakdown.

"Oh my God… Jamie!"

The woman ran inside and straight to Jamie, wrapping her arms around the girl's small frame.

"Hayley!" Jamie excitedly greeted her.

"I am so glad you're okay. I was so worried!" She said trying to catch her breath. But her worry didn't fully diminish after glancing around the apartment.

"Where is he?" She asked as she turned around to face Jason.

"I don't know." Jason answered truthfully.

"Well how long ago did this happen?"

"Two days ago." Jamie quickly responded.

Hayley looked back over at her, not knowing if she should continue the conversation with Jamie present.

"Can we discuss this on the balcony?" She asked, turning back around to face Jason.

"Whatever you have to say… just say it. I know about everything." Jamie answered, slightly irritated.

"Is that true?" Hayley asked.

Jason nodded.

"Alright… well who have you made contact with so far?"

"Andros is searching for him."

"Well when is the last time you heard from Andros?" Hayley's words were coming out faster than Jason could even process.

"Hayley… if I had better news, believe me I would tell you…"

She cut him off. "Oh, like telling me this happened in the first place?"

"I'm doing the best I can here, Hayley. I was going to tell you, but-"

"Has Andros contacted you, or what?"

"Yesterday." Jason simply replied, "Nothing new."

"It… I…" Hayley suddenly couldn't think of what to say as she looked down at the floor. "…The reunion is in five days." She finished as she shook her head. She was in disbelief something like this was really happening again.

"I know." It was all Jason could say.

There was silence among the three of them now. Jason and Jamie continued to look at Hayley who was overwhelmed with emotion and steadily getting worse.

"There was…" She inhaled quickly, trying to hold it together, "...Blood in his lab."

Jason immediately embraced her.

"I know." He soothed as he motioned for Jamie to leave the room. She looked disappointed but understood as she made her way back into the kitchen.

Hayley pulled away and collected herself. It wasn't like her to show her emotions like that. Jason leaned against the wall and crossed his arms as his gaze fell on the rug below him.

"What are we going to do?" Hayley's question hung in the air for a moment.

"There's nothing we can do right now."

She looked up at him, disappointment evident in both of their faces.

"What is Jamie going to do while we're at the reunion?"

"I think she should be there with us." Jason began, his eyes still on the floor. "She doesn't have anywhere else to go."

"And how are you going to pull that off?" Hayley asked as she crossed her arms. "…It's great to see you all again and oh, by the way, this is Tommy's daughter but Tommy won't be making it tonight."

"She'll be my daughter for the time being." He answered looking back up at her.

"So you're going to lie to them further?"

Jason was getting irritated now. "Do you have any better suggestions, Hayley? Because I'm trying to avoid giving my friends unnecessary worry during a time that's supposed to be joyous and memorable."

"Oh, it'll be memorable, alright."

"What else do you want from me?" He was beginning to raise his voice.

Hayley was momentarily taken aback. She had never seen calm and collected Jason like this.

"You call me if you hear anything." She stated quietly but firmly as she walked past him and out the door.

Jason closed the door and took in a deep breath. He exhaled slowly as he noticed Jamie standing in the hallway again.

"Well that didn't go so well." She said with a frown.

"I'm going to shower." He replied in monotone as he walked past her and into his bathroom.

Jamie watched him go before looking back at the front door and sighing. She made her way into the living room and sat down on the sofa, hoping something on T.V. would occupy her mind temporarily.

____________________

Hayley drove well over the speed limit as she made her way back over to her house. She picked up her phone and began to dial the number of the person she had tried to contact while at Tommy's.

"Please answer… please… come on."

It rang a few more times. Hayley was about to hang up out of frustration but decided to leave another message.

"Greetings, you have reached William Cranston. Please leave your name and number and I'd be happy to return your call."

*BEEP

"Billy, this is Hayley again. Please call me back as soon as you can… please…I am about to have a nervous breakdown over here… I really need to hear your voice. Alright… bye."

She tossed her phone in the passenger seat and placed both of her hands on the wheel.

"Porcelain" by Moby came on the radio. She silently hoped that Billy would return her call before losing herself in the music.

____________________

It was two in the morning and Ashley Hammond simply could not sleep. She looked to her left. Her boyfriend of almost 12 years had barely said a word to her and hadn't been seen outside the main control room in days. She had been disappointed initially but now she was just getting frustrated. Especially after he had told her earlier in the day he would be coming to bed. She sat up and glared at the door, thinking about what she wanted to do at that very moment. A decision was made as she got out from under the covers and put on her slippers. She looked determined as ever, as she walked down the hall with her arms crossed. She walked up to the panel next to the main door and hit the largest button giving her access as the door slid open.

"Andros?" She called out to the room.

She was about to say more but then she noticed him sitting upright in his chair fast asleep.

'Should I wake him?' She contemplated for a second. He looked so content but at the same time she knew he'd sleep better in his own bed.

Suddenly alarms started going off. Ashley jerked her head in the direction of the computer screen, completely startled by the interruption.

"Andros!" She yelled as she shook him awake.

"What? …What is it?" He replied back, confused.

But he opened his eyes and became completely alert after seeing why he had been woken.

"How long has this been going off?" He asked as he practically jumped out of his chair.

"This video feed had just started before you woke up." She responded quickly.

Andros's hands moved faster than she had ever seen them go during a crisis.

"I've got it." Andros said as he ran over to look at the document that had just printed.

"Got what?" Ashley asked, still completely confused.

He looked up at her with a relieved smile. "A location."


	6. Communication is Key

Three high-pitched simultaneous beeps could be heard from the computer as groaning could be heard from a muzzled voice under the covers. You could tell whoever was under there didn't want to get out of bed. The beeps continued to go off from the computer. Finally a head popped out from under the sheets, only to reveal a grumpy brown-haired woman. She whined some before getting up to see who was contacting her online. She sat down at her computer and waited for it to come out of sleep mode. The screen became visible allowing her to see that someone was trying to contact her.

"Incoming call from Zachary Taylor."

The woman accepted and was greeted by two familiar male faces.

"Kimberly, hey!" William Cranston's voice could be heard first.

"Billy?" She questioned. She hadn't heard his voice in some time. "I can't believe it... It's been so long!"

"Years!" Zachary Taylor responded quite amazed.

"You're calling awfully early, aren't you?" Kim asked groggily as she checked the clock on the wall to her right. It was 7:43 AM.

"I just wanted to see if you guys were going is all." Zach said as gave his grey and white terrier a treat in the background.

"To the reunion? Of course, silly!" Kim playfully replied before rubbing her right eye. "I am so excited!"

"I am too." Billy added. "It will be a wonderful get together. I have missed everyone!"

Kimberly and Zach both nodded in agreement. "I have been trying to call you for about a week now, Billy. What's the deal?" Kim inquired.

"I have misplaced my phone. I apologize for not contacting you in a more timely fashion."

"Oh, it's fine!" She told him. "I am just glad to be hearing from you now."

"So have either of you heard from the others?" Zach piped up.

"Not at all." Kim said with a bit of disappointment in her tone. "I have been meaning to call Jason and ask him if I can crash at his place. I know everyone will mostly be staying on the Megaship but I just want a place to retreat to. Work has been kind of nuts lately and it would be nice to feel like I am on vacation." She paused. "To be honest… I am kind of nervous to see Tommy again too."

"It's perfectly acceptable for you to feel that way, Kimberly." Billy replied.

"Yeah…" Zach started "But it'll be awesome Kim, you'll see. You won't even want to retreat anywhere."

Kimberly nodded with a smirk. "Well, I think I'll probably show up around five that evening. What time do you guys think you'll get there?"

"Five is fine for me. Billy?" Zach asked as he looked at Billy's screen.

Billy nodded. "Five it is… I am going to make some breakfast."

"Sounds good man. See ya, Kim."

"Bye guys!" Kim responded before ending the call.

'Should I go back to sleep?' She pondered, still looking down at the keyboard. 'Or should I make some coffee and sit out back?'

She then turned to look in the mirror mounted on her closet door.

"Oh God, look at me…" She said in disgust. "Coffee… definitely."

She walked down the spiral staircase in her loft and was greeted by her feline friend.

"Alpha… come here boy." Kim picked up the grey, longhaired cat and placed him up on the table. She then poured some milk into a small dish and set it down in front of him.

After she grabbed her laptop, she began to walk out to her side patio but stopped halfway after looking at a photo that sat on top of her fireplace in the living room. Sitting on the mantle was a photo of the six of them, the original team. Kim became lost in her thoughts as her mind drifted to memories of her times with all five of those people. A big smile came onto her face.

"This reunion is going to be amazing."

_____________________

"Well Mesogog?" What's the plan here?" The signature squeal that came from deep within Rita Repulsa echoed throughout the throne room.

"Don't rush him, you vile, high-pitched creature." Lord Zedd responded.

"Shut your trap Zeddy, you're lucky I haven't filed for divorce!"

"Oh, Blah, blah, blah. Can you two shut your lids for one minute? You're ruining my unusually good mood." Divatox hollered while she looked down at her nails. "Oh my Goodness! They are just so gorgeous! My hands should be famous for their genuine beauty."

"Yes, well… no one cares about your perfect nails or your beauty." Gasket snidely retorted. "I think you should take another look at yourself too because I see neither."

"How dare you! I am gorgeous!" Divatox yelled as she stood to face him.

"Shut up, you fools!" Mesagog interrupted in his drawn-out dialect. "All of you… are just… pathetic."

Their eyes all landed on Mesogog. "The Rangers' little celebration is in two days… and I want to give them all a surprise they will… never… forget." He paused so that he could turn around to face them. "They will pay… for ruining us all."

The creatures of evil all rallied in laughter. "Now… let's begin." He said as they all left and walked down a hall following him. Trakeena was the last to leave the room. She had been quiet during the meeting, her mind too focused on how she would react to seeing Leo again. Thoughts of how she would defeat the red Galaxy Ranger consumed her mind and had been since her father's death at his hands. She felt like she had no control over what she would do upon seeing him but something inside of her was telling her it was unacceptable to think about these things. And whatever it was, it definitely wasn't there the first time she faced the Rangers.

Her thoughts moved back to the present. Still following the group to their destination, she thought about what awaited the man sitting in the cell they were walking to. She could care less about Tommy Oliver but again that unexplainable part of her came into play, this time making her feel kind of bad for the veteran Ranger. She didn't want to harm the guy but then she didn't care if she did or not. She wondered then if it was the human whose life force she was using breaking through her.

"What is going on with me?" She asked herself out loud. With Rita and Zedd's chatter going on, only Gasket heard her.

"What are you talking about?" Prince Gasket asked her.

"Nothing. Mind your own business." She rudely responded.

"Hmmph." He turned back around, walking over to the other side of Mesogog."

The six of them walked into the small, dimly lit room that held a single cell. Four Tyranodrones followed closely behind, the door shutting behind the last one to enter the room.

"Have you come back to taunt me some more?" Tommy asked in an uncaring tone as he walked closer to the bars.

"That and more, Tommy boy."

He looked over at Divatox and then back at Mesogog.

"How about some food first? I see you guys like to starve your prisoners... you know that's just cruel, right?"

"Enough." Mesogog replied irritably.

Tommy was suddenly blinded by a bright green light. He heard a scuffle of footsteps coming toward him. The Tyranodrones grabbed him, pulled him out of his cell and into the groups' reach. He grunted as his knees slammed into the concrete floor. A moment later they let go of him entirely.

As the light faded he fell backward. He felt the sole of Divatox's boot against his chest. He struggled against her. She was so strong it seemed, stronger than he had ever remembered her to be. He was struggling to breathe now, his grip tightening around her leg as he desperately tried to get her off. Right as he thought he was about to lose consciousness she let up completely. He coughed and attempted to catch his breath as he tried to regain awareness of his surroundings.

He turned over onto his side, his left hand supporting his chest. His moment of relief was soon ruined as he felt something hard hit him in the back. It completely knocked the wind out of him as he grunted from the pain. 'That had to have been either Zedd or Rita's staff.' He thought as he flinched from another hit to his back. Tommy simply never had enough time to recover as the blows just kept coming. Six versus one wasn't really all that fair to begin with but he was at even more of a disadvantage. He was still feeling disoriented from whatever they had used to drug him and the worst wasn't even occurring yet. Gasket's sword was the next thing to make contact with Tommy as it sliced through the skin on his upper left arm. He grunted again, louder this time. Mesogog finished the beating with what can only be described as a horribly debilitating migraine, his psionic energy making direct contact with the back of Tommy's head. He could feel it down his spine, the pain excruciating. It felt as if someone had placed hot coals along his back.

"Your friends are watching this." Was all Mesogog said.

(MEANWHILE…)

"Andros! Look at this!" Ashley yelled over at her boyfriend.

A visual of Tommy and the whole situation could now be seen from another screen on the main deck.

The two of them watched in horror as their predecessor was repeatedly beaten.

"I have to go help him."

"Andros! Are you crazy? Look at what they're doing to him! They're too strong… we have to put together a team!"

"There is no time Ashley! They're going to kill him at the rate this is going, don't you see that?" That was the loudest Ashley had ever heard Andros raise his voice.

She stood speechless as she watched Andros run out the automatic sliding doors. Her attention was redirected almost instantly back at the screen though and just in time to see Trakeena continually hit Tommy in the face as the Tyranodrones held him up. His face was clearly swollen, blood coming from his mouth and hairline. Andros reappeared and walked toward Ashley as he slipped his morpher on.

"Andros!" She began. "Don't do this alone!"

"I'm going, Ashley!" What else could she say? His mind was made up. "Let's Rock it!" He called as he morphed into the red uniform he hadn't worn in years.

Ashley was still, her eyes told him she was in absolute disbelief. "This is a mistake!"

"Call Jason." He replied. "I love you, Ash... don't worry, I'll be back."

She didn't respond as her eyes followed him out of the room. She scurried over to one of the windows as she watched him disappear on his galaxy glider up into the clouds.

She looked back at the screen. Tommy was lying on the ground unconscious now. Two Tyranodrones picked him up by the arms as they dragged him back into his cell. Ashley continued to watch but lost the feed once the group left Tommy's room. The other screen was telling her there was no use of energy or power being used at that moment either.

'So he's okay for now.' She thought with a lot of uncertainty.

She walked over to another table toward the back of the room and picked up the paper Andros had written Jason's communicator frequency on. She stared at the number as she silently thought about what she would say.

_____________________

Her cell phone was ringing now. She stopped washing dishes and dried her hands quickly.

"Hello?" She asked before switching the phone to her other ear.

"Tanya?"

There was a period of silence.

Tanya gasped when she realized who it was, the light Australian accent unmistakable. "Kat? Is that you?"

"Yes!" Kat replied as she laughed. "How have you been?"

"I've been good girl! Just working a lot…. Devon is keeping me busy as always."

Devon was Tanya's only son. She had tried to make it work with Devon's father but they couldn't live together and decided to never marry. It worked out for Tanya though. Since she had become a lawyer she barely had enough time to spend with her son let alone get involved in a relationship.

"That's good. How old is he now?" The last time Kat had seen Devon was right before his second birthday.

"Almost nine. Can you believe it?"

"That's incredible. I'm so happy for you, Tanya." Kat replied sincerely.

Tanya smiled and pulled away from the phone, placing her hand on the receiver.

"Devon, go get your homework done first, then you can play your games, alright baby?"

The young boy gave her a look of displeasure and walked into the other room.

"So how have you and Daniel been doing?" She asked as she got back on the phone.

"We're not together anymore." Kat replied with a bit of disappointment. "We split maybe a year ago."

"Oh, Kat… I'm so sorry."

Kat had been seeing an American man for almost four years. Her and Daniel had seemed like the perfect match but Kat was the one to pull away.

"It's fine, really it is Tanya. I loved Daniel… I just wasn't in love with him and it took me some time to realize that." She paused for a moment. "I actually wanted to talk to you about the reunion."

"I am so excited!" Tanya replied, happy to change the topic. "It has been so long since we were all together." She turned the water back on and continued the dishes.

"I am too!" Kat responded excitedly. "I hope everyone is able to come."

"Me too. It won't be a reunion without the full gang." Tanya paused. "Have you heard from anyone so far?"

"Yeah…" Kat replied. "I have spoken to Rocky and Adam and they're both coming."

"That's great! What about Justin? …Man it will be so weird to see him all grown up!"

Kat laughed. "Yeah, it will. I bet he's grown into a dapper young man though. I should give him a call actually."

"Alright… well it was great to hear your voice, Kat!" Tanya replied. "I'll be at the reunion close to six after I drop Devon off with his dad. See you there!"

"I can't wait! Bye Tanya!" Kat's smile continued on past the phone call. Her thoughts were now on all of her long-time friends. 'It'll be fun to see how everyone has turned out.' She thought to herself before sitting down to look through her address book for Justin's number.

_____________________

It was 3:18 PM in the city of Angel Grove, two days before the big reunion. Jason was sitting in the living room looking again through the contents of the chest he had opened days prior.

'Maybe Hayley or Billy could recharge this somehow.' He thought as he looked down at Tommy's old Dino morpher. His eyes veered up through his living room window at Jamie. She was outside in the front, practicing a Kata on the astroturf. Tommy had begun teaching her karate after she had turned ten. She was already pretty good from what Jason could see.

*Beep, beep, beepbeep, beep, beep*

With his gaze still on Jamie he raised his communicator to his lips.

"Jason here."

"Jason… this is Ashley."

"Hey Ashley." He replied with immediate concern, the anxiety in her tone very evident. "What's going on?"

There was a clear pause as Jason patiently waited for her answer. "You need to come to the Megaship as soon as possible."

"Tell me what happened." He quickly replied.

"I think you just… need to come." She hesitated again. "I don't want to have to explain this."

Ashley ended the call as Jason looked up from his communicator. Something was really wrong, he could feel it. He got up from the sofa, grabbed his wallet, phone and keys and made his way for the front door.

"Jamie!" Jason called out to his goddaughter. She was out on his balcony listening to her music. "Come on! We have to leave!"

She was about to question him but he didn't give her any time to. She ran after him, shutting his front door behind her as she ran toward the car.

The two drove off before she could even put her seatbelt on. At the speed Jason was going, they would be in Angel Grove National Forest in fifteen minutes flat.

"What's going on Jason?" She asked anxiously.

"I'm not sure."

Nothing else was said after that.

_____________________

"Hey… what's going on?" T.J. asked as he and Cassie casually walked into the control room.

"Yeah, what are you doing up so late?" Cassie added.

Ashley thought about whether or not to share what was going on. As she looked into their eyes she knew she couldn't withhold it. "I think you guys should see this."

She walked over to the computer screen and replayed the video her and Andros had viewed half an hour ago.

Cassie softly gasped as she placed a hand over her mouth and continued to watch.

T.J. was clearly stunned by the footage. "Is that Tommy?" He asked, his mouth ajar. He was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that six of their once defeated enemies were alive and seemingly stronger than before.

The video continued as the three of them stood watching it in silence. Cassie almost turned away, not wanting to watch as a nearly unconscious Tommy was repeatedly hit in the face by Trakeena.

No one on the mega deck had realized at this point that two visitors had just entered the room.

Their attention momentarily withdrew from the video as their eyes landed on the man that had just walked up to join them.

The anger boiling inside of him did not go unnoticed as he continued to stare at the screen. Since he was closer now he was able to really see everyone present in the video. "Where is this coming from?" Jason asked as he too tried to overcome the shock of seeing who it was that had his best friend.

"Jason…" Ashley began. "Andros received the coordinates and just took off. I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen."

Jason's eyes were still glued to the screen. "I need to go in there." He began. "I have to…"

"You're powerless Jason." T.J. said in a stern yet sympathetic tone. "You can't take any of them on without that."

"T.J.'s right, Jason." Cassie added. "We have to believe Andros can do this."

"Dad…"

They all looked over at where the quiet, fragile voice had come from. For a second there, Jamie had almost been forgotten.

"Hey…" Jason said as he looked over at her. She had been watching the footage too. Jamie's face was still, tears came nowhere near her cheeks. In fact she looked like she had no emotion at all really. "Turn that off." Jason stated in a soft, yet stern tone.

Cassie went over and switched off the monitor.

Jason walked over to Jamie, bending over to wrap her into him. It took her a moment but she returned the gesture, closing her eyes as he held her.

The group was somber as they looked at each other with anxious, worried eyes.

It was all up to Andros now.


	7. Hearts and Minds

There was a crash out of nowhere followed by a loud thump.

"What was that?" Ashley asked the empty room she sat in. She sat up in her bed before hearing a male's voice. He yelled as she heard another thump. Had someone just fallen in the main control room?

"Oh God… Andros!" Ashley leapt out of bed and ran down the hall toward what she thought would be an unpleasant scene.

'How did no one else hear that?' She thought making her way into the room.

"Ah…" The man groaned.

"Andros…Hold on! Please just hold on!" She frantically looked around the panels for the emergency generator. She wondered why the lights were out to begin with, they were usually always on.

"I'm coming!" She kept yelling at the injured man a few feet away.

"Got it!" She yelled as all the lights slowly illuminated again. She could see his arm behind one of the center consoles from where she was standing. She quickly ran around to the other side of the control room.

"Andros…" But when she looked down Andros wasn't the man she saw.

"Tommy..." Ashley said in a whisper as her breath got caught up in her throat. She bent down and picked up his hand, leaving her left on top of his chest. "…What happened?"

Tommy didn't answer. He was shaking and trying his best to breathe as his panicked eyes glared up at her. "I'll go get some help!" She said, trying to calm him down. But looking at him made her want to cry. The pain he was feeling was real and she knew she had to stay with him. He was in his final moments alive.

"No… you c-can't… he-elp me… Andros is… de-ead…" Tommy told her between breaths.

Ashley was whimpering now, feeling as if she were about to have a panic attack.

Had he really just said the love of her life was dead?

Ashley didn't know how she was keeping it together now.

"Tommy… it's okay… you're going to be fine… we're all going to be…" She nodded her head as she said this trying to make him believe it were true. But she could see it in his eyes. He knew what was happening to him. Her gaze fell to the floor, her hands still holding his. Her eyes became squinted as she tried to keep herself from crying.

As his hand started to become limp, his eyes began to flicker before slowly closing altogether.

"No…" She said in a soft, cracked voice.

Ashley lowered his hand gently, placing it on the floor next to him. She used the console behind her to hoist herself up off the floor, doing this while trying to maintain her balance. She was crying now, there was no way she could hold it in at this point. The only man she had ever loved was dead and the man he was trying to save had been the one to deliver this news before dying himself.

"Oh Ashley…" A voice said behind her.

She turned around and immediately gasped. She couldn't believe her eyes.

There they were; all six of them. In Gasket's arms was Andros's body. He dropped Andros onto the floor. His body rolled once, leaving him face down.

"You're next!" Came Rita's squeal.

"No… no… no." Ashley kept murmuring, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Ashley!" She heard someone else yell. 'But who had said that?' She wondered. They sounded so distant.

"We're coming after you now and every single one of your friends!" Divatox said with a laugh.

"NO!" She yelled once more before closing her eyes.

They opened again only to reveal a completely different scene. Ashley was looking up at the ceiling now. She turned her head to her immediate left, Cassie now plain in view.

"Ashley… calm down, It's me, Cassie…" The pink Space Ranger tried to be as comforting as possible. "Are you okay? …I kept trying to wake you."

"It's okay Cass…" She said sitting up as she wiped off the sweat and tears from her face. "It was just a nightmare." She looked past Cassie at her reflection in the mirror, in awe of how awful she looked. That dream had felt terrifyingly real. "This whole thing has been freaking me out. None of this should have ever happened. Andros promised me he would never use the power again and days later he's left for one of the most dangerous missions he's ever had."

"I know… But Andros will make it through it, Ashley. We all will." Cassie said with a reassuring smile. "Hey… let me get you some water, alright?"

"That would be great, thanks." Ashley said, looking up at her with half a smile as she left the room. It was the night before the reunion and she had fallen asleep just two hours ago only to be woken up by a horrible nightmare. Getting through the rest of the night was a mystery to her at this point. She pushed her fingers through her hair, forcing it out of her face as she lay back against the headboard of the bed.

"I am so glad that wasn't real."

(EIGHT HOURS EARLIER)

Cassie, Ashley, T.J., Jason, and Jamie still sat in the control room on the main deck of the Astro Megaship. They were all still waiting. Waiting to hear from Andros, but even more so for him to show up soon with Tommy.

"Does anyone want something to eat?" Cassie asked. It was getting close to dinnertime.

"Yeah, I am pretty hungry. I'll help you make something." T.J. responded, standing up.

"You hungry, Jamie?" Jason asked quietly, looking down at her.

"No." She said as she continued to gaze at the floor.

"Jamie, you really should eat something." He told her again.

"I said I'm not hungry." She answered, glaring up at him and walking a bit further away.

"Just make some extra guys." Ashley said as T.J. and Cassie nodded, leaving the room.

"You guys are more than welcome to stay here." Ashley then said to Jason turning back to face him.

"Thanks, I appreciate that." Jason replied with a small smile.

"I want to go get my things if we have to stay here." Jamie said quickly.

"Well maybe Hayley can pick you up and take you to go get them. Here, go call her." He finished, extending his cell phone to her.

"Why can't you take me?" She asked as she took the phone from him.

"I want to be here in case news comes in on your dad." Jamie nodded in understanding before walking out of the room.

Jason and Ashley sat across from each other and were the only two left on the main deck. Both looked like they were lost in thought and neither said a word for some time. Jason was the first one to speak up.

"When was the last time Andros morphed?"

Ashley looked up at him with a blank expression. "It's been years. But… if anyone could do this, believe me it would be Andros." She tried to sound comforting but didn't know if she was succeeding in doing so.

Jason folded his hands in his lap, looking down at the floor once more. "He means a lot to me."

"I know…" Ashley didn't quite know what to say but her expression was that of sympathy. She wished this would all be over soon but she knew it wouldn't.

"Andros is the love of my life." She finally said in a quiet tone.

Jason smiled a bit as his eyes became chinky. "When's the wedding?"

She smiled back at him before responding. "Whenever he decides to man up and ask me." She started, "But marriage is an even bigger deal on KO-35 than it is here. It's very sacred to them."

"I'm sure he'll ask you when the time is right."

"Hopefully soon." She replied, feeling some excitement flow through her at the thought. "I want to start a family with him... and preferably before I am fifty."

Jason's grin got a bit wider before he noticed Jamie walk back into the room.

"She's on her way." She said as she handed the phone to Jason.

"Well, I'll go outside and wait with you."

"No… that's fine Jason. I want to be alone for a little while… I'll just see you later."

"Alright." He understood but it didn't take away from the worry he had for her.

He gave her another hug before she left the room once again.

"Gosh, she's going through so much right now." Ashley sadly noted.

"Yeah…" Jason responded with disappointment as he sat back down, "I didn't think anything like this would ever happen again. But she's taking it better than I expected."

"With the reunion tomorrow… I just hope this is all over soon." Ashley replied as she got up to look at the computer screen once more.

Jason nodded in agreement, "Me too." But his attention was redirected as DECA could be heard above them. "There is an incoming message from Andros."

"Put it through DECA." The red Space Ranger could be seen but just barely. Ashley and Jason walked over to the computer as Ashley hit a few buttons on the control panel, the image becoming a bit more clear. "Andros! Are you okay? Where are you right now?" She could see some mountains in the background, the wind very heavy as sand flew around him. "I'm okay but I must have been off on the coordinates by a number when I typed them in. I landed about 300 miles from where I should have been."

Jason immediately felt worse than he already did upon hearing that. "Are you any closer now?" He asked immediately.

"I'm almost there. I landed on the other side of this planet, in the driest part. My Galaxy Glider isn't as fast as it used to be and I had to travel through quite a bit of mountains. It took me two days to get here. Listen, I must go now though. I just wanted to check in with you."

Ashley nodded, "I love you Andros, please be safe."

"May the power protect you." Jason responded after her.

"I love you too, Ashley. And thank you, Jason. I will return as soon as I can with Tommy, I promise you." And just like that, the screen went black.

The room was quiet again. Ashley sat down in the swivel chair closest to her as Jason stood, his arms extended onto the control panel and his eyes still on the screen Andros had just been on.

They were running out of time.

____________________________

The Cyber café was busy as usual but the owner was nowhere in sight.

"Uh, Kira… have you heard from Hayley, at all?" Trent asked quickly as he continued making drinks.

"No, not at all. I'm getting kind of worried." She said just before addressing their next customer.

"It's been three days. She was so short with me the last time she was here too." He said frustrated.

"Thank you sir. Your drink will be out in a couple of minutes." Kira said as she smiled.

She turned back to Trent. "Something is up. And I think she's not telling us. I mean… Dr. O has been AWOL for over a week now which is definitely strange."

Before Trent could give his response, Hayley suddenly walked into the shop.

"Attention everyone!" She immediately shouted. "I am really sorry to tell you this, but I need to close up shop. I have an emergency I need to attend to." 

Some of the teens in the back groaned with displeasure as they all got up. Trent finished his drink orders as everyone vacated the building.

"Okay… what the heck is going on?" Kira was the first one to inquire.

Hayley locked the front door and put the closed sign up as Ethan and Connor walked over to join Kira and Trent at the counter.

"Something bad has happened guys… so I am sorry if I haven't really been myself lately." She paused before continuing, "Just hear me out." They all nodded before she continued.

"Tommy was taken captive about a week ago." She paused, seeing the group's expressions change. They were all visibly taken aback. "And before you all bombard me with questions, let me tell you as much as I know."

She went on to explain some of her confrontation with Jason, that Jamie knew about everything, and that the last she had heard, Andros was still looking for him.

Connor was the first one to speak. "We don't know who has him… but we can be prepared for whatever might come out of this."

"I agree." Hayley replied as she looked over at Connor.

"What if it's Mesogog again?" Kira asked worriedly.

"We can't think about who it might be. We have to think about what we'll do when we encounter whoever it is that took Dr. O." Trent said quietly.

"Can you get the power back in our Dino Gems, Hayley?" Ethan asked.

"I can certainly try. But I am going to have to power them up differently this time around."

"Alright, well what are we waiting for?" Connor asked, resuming his leading role.

"Hold on." Hayley said as she looked down at her phone. "Jason is calling, I need to take this."

"Go ahead, we'll be here." Kira told her.

Hayley stepped into the back room and proceeded to answer the phone. She felt nerves flow through her body before hitting the 'accept call' button.

"Hey Jason… any news?"

"This is Jamie."

Hayley was a bit surprised, "Jamie… is everything alright?"

"Not really… I just need you to come pick me up so I can get my things from Jason's. I'm at the Megaship already. He wants to stay here."

"Alright, I'll leave Reefside right now to come get you. I've got the coordinates. You're near Angel Grove national park?"

"Yeah, I'll be standing outside." Jamie responded.

"Okay, I'll be there in about half an hour. See you soon, Jamie."

Hayley hung up and walked back out into the front of the café. "I need to go take care of a few things." She told the group as they all nodded. As they said their goodbyes, Hayley promised them she would be back.

"This is unbelievable." Kira said as Hayley disappeared out the door.

"Let's stay optimistic, guys. Whatever this is, we have faced worse. The reunion tomorrow will be awesome and Dr. O will be there too, he has to be." The three nodded wishing they could fully believe Trent's words. Trent really didn't believe himself either.

The truth was that they all knew this was only the beginning.

____________________________

Jamie Oliver sat on the grass outside of the Megaship. The last twenty minutes she had spent outside had helped her to feel a little better. She looked up at her surroundings, taking it all in. She tried to enjoy the fresh air and the quiet she was enveloped in, but at the same time she couldn't shake the thoughts of her father the way she had just seen him. She hated the fact that she still had a visual of the scene and couldn't get it out of her head. She shook her head in frustration, forcing herself to think of something else. She went on to contemplate about how much her life had changed because of all of this. I mean, not very many foster kids could say a former Power Ranger had adopted them and for that she couldn't help but smile a little. Her dad had been more than one Ranger in his lifetime. She definitely wanted to talk to Tommy now more than ever; she had so many questions. But she soon became despondent again after she thought back to the present. She heard a vehicle pull up just a minute later.

Jamie walked over to Hayley's deep red Miata and got in the passenger's seat.

"Hey… how are you doing?" Hayley asked softly. Jamie looked straight ahead, pulling her seatbelt on as they began to drive away.

"Could be better." She said in a monotone.

"Did something else happen?" Hayley asked her concerned.

Jamie looked down at her hands in silence.

She was quiet for almost a minute. "There was a video of my dad." She began, "They were hurting him."

"Who are they?" Hayley asked immediately.

"I don't know their names." She replied, "The video was pretty dark but I think Jason could tell you."

"Well how was he doing? He was fighting back, right?" Hayley asked, glancing over at her.

"He couldn't fight back… they wouldn't let him. Each one of them took turns. Jason said he was drugged when he was taken so he couldn't fight as well." She answered quietly.

Hayley felt her stomach drop at Jamie's words. They continued on a few more miles through the lush forest as they began to make their way over to the main road leading back to Reefside. Hayley looked over at Jamie again before looking back at the road. She was looking out the window, her expression still dismal. There was silence for the majority of the drive before Hayley decided to speak again.

"You want to listen to some music?" Hayley asked her. It was as if Jamie hadn't heard the question at all. She was so deeply immersed in thought.

"He's a good fighter… right?" Jamie asked as she took hold of the strings on her jacket. She twirled them in her fingers while she waited for an answer.

"He's a great fighter. One of the best."

Jamie turned back to her right, facing the window once more. They were almost to Jason's apartment. Hayley knew there was nothing she could say to comfort Jamie right now. It wasn't really fair either, considering she was having a hard time grasping it all herself. Hayley turned onto Jason's street and pulled into his driveway.

"Did you want me to come inside with you?" Hayley asked her as Jamie shook her head before getting out of the car.

"Alright, well I'll be here." Hayley said again before Jamie shut the door.

She hoped that Jamie would take her time because the next task Hayley had to do wasn't going to be easy for her.

____________________________

There was intense silence. Andros couldn't hear a thing as he walked around the side of the old, rustic building he had finally made it to. It was intensely dark there; so dark it was as if the sun never came out. This side of the planet was very green to Andros's surprise. The last twenty miles it had taken to get there had been difficult due to the amount of trees in the area. He pushed away some of the overgrown Ivy clinging to the walls. 'There has to be a way in.' He thought.

Just then he saw a group of Tyranodrones appear a few feet away. They had emerged from an invisaportal. As they left the area in the opposite direction, Andros made his way over to the portal. "It was just about here." He said as he looked around, inching closer to the portal that he thought would take him inside. He suddenly became engulfed in green light and rematerialized inside a hallway, dimly lit by a single candle on the wall. Now he would have to guess at where to go to next. He looked both ways before starting down the hall to his right. The place smelt horrible and was so cold he could have easily been in negative degree weather. Andros could feel the goosebumps on his arms through his uniform. But he kept up his pace. Time was of the greatest importance. He came to another hall with two doors, both leading elsewhere in the building. He stopped to consider which one to go through but quickly ducked back into the shadows as the door closest to him opened.

"ARGH." It was Prince Gasket.

"My name is Gasket! Prince Gasket!" He yelled in frustration. "Get out of my head! You know nothing. NOTHING!" He shook his head again, standing up straight. As he reclaimed his composure, he began to walk down the hall Andros had just come from. Andros wondered for a moment what all that was about but redirected his attention back on the mission at hand. He had managed to stay completely still and hidden during Gasket's little outburst.

"Thank God for the lack of lighting in here." He said quietly. Andros considered the possibility of going after Tommy through the door Gasket had just come from but it made more sense to him to choose the other door. For all he knew, the rest of the evil gang could be waiting at the end of that one. He took off down the hall through the second door. As he reached the end of that hall he stopped, realizing he now had four more doors to choose from. Each had a small glass window you could see inside through. He came to the first one and looked inside, letting out a quick breath.

"… What the?"

Andros wasn't even sure if what he was seeing was real. He opened the door and cautiously walked inside. Looking up, he saw five humans, each of them lying inside of an enclosed tube that shone a deep olive green color. He looked back down at the five computer screens the tubes were attached to. The person's energy and life force were being distributed to something else. He hit a button on the first computer allowing the screen to come on. But what the screen revealed made Andros's jaw drop. The screen showed Divatox's vital signs and energy. He ran over to the next computer and then the next, turning each screen on. This was it. He didn't know how Mesogog had come back from the dead but he now knew how the other five had come to be. Looking back up at the five innocent people part of this, Andros started to feel very uneasy. The realization was almost too much to bear. They couldn't destroy anyone but Mesogog, for if they did, they would be killing these people too. Before he could think any further he heard footsteps approaching. He ducked back against the shaded wall nearest the door. He would have to wait to make his next move.

____________________________

It was looking like it was about to rain outside of the Scott residence. The weather seemed to fit Hayley's mood. She looked down at her phone, leaning her head on her hand. The time could be seen on her home screen. It had been a little over fifteen minutes since Jamie had gone inside. 'What is she doing in there?' Hayley thought as she considered giving Jason a call. She really just wanted to know what Jason had seen in the footage. Jamie then came running out to the car, her backpack in hand. She got inside quickly, setting her backpack down on the floor in front of her.

"Did you get everything you need?" Hayley asked as she turned around to back out of the driveway.

"Yeah, I think so." Jamie replied as she bent down and pulled out her mp3 player. "Hayley… if you don't mind, I'd like to listen to my music on the way back." She finished, putting in one ear bud.

"That's perfectly fine." Hayley replied.

As Jamie put her other ear bud in she let her head fall back against the chair. She closed her eyes, drifting into the music flowing through her ears. Her right hand sat inside her jean pocket tightly grasping an item only she would know about for the time being.

It was usually easy to tell when a girl of her age was troubled by something. But when it came to Jamie, it was hard to tell. What amazed Hayley the most was the fact that Tommy was the same way. Both of them became distant and reserved and that was the only way she could tell when something was bothering one of them. Most of the time putting on a façade for everyone was what they did to avoid confrontation.

'This all needs to end already.' She thought to herself before changing the radio station.

Commercials were playing on every station she put on and she soon turned it off in frustration.

'I can get through the next twenty minutes.' Hayley silently told herself.

Jamie then noticed the direction they were going in wasn't right.

"Hey, where are we going?" She asked, sitting up in her chair.

"Your house." Hayley responded before turning onto the road that would take them up to the Oliver residence.

The footsteps were still approaching, but when Andros looked through the window the group of former enemies walked right past him.

'Damn it, they must be going back to where they're keeping Tommy.'

He looked back up at the five people in front of him. "I'll be back for you guys, don't worry." He didn't have time to figure out how to detach them from everything, not to mention doing it in the safest way possible. "I've got to go save my friend." Even though they couldn't respond, Andros felt like they could hear him. He hoped they could at least. He looked back over at the door and then back up at them once more. "I'm sorry I have to go." He made his way over to the door and opened it slightly. He could hear laughter further down the hallway. He emerged from behind the door, closing it slowly, so that he could prevent himself from gaining any unwanted attention. He looked in through the window of the next door and saw nothing. It was pitch black. As he walked to the third door he started to feel somewhat nervous.

'Come on Andros… keep it together.'

It wouldn't have mattered if he could see inside the third room; the door was bolted shut. He looked in anyway, his mouth opening slightly as his eyes became bigger. There in the middle of the room was a table. Light shone from beneath it as a single stone sat in the center. It was of purple and grey color.

"What is that?" He quietly asked himself. He looked back down at the door. Whatever it was, Mesogog didn't want anyone getting near it. He heard a yell come from the next room.

He refocused again, making his way over to the last door. He peered in, hoping he wouldn't be seen. The group was standing around Tommy, just like he'd seen them do in the video he'd watched earlier.

"Where… is it?" Mesogog asked enraged.

Tommy sat on his knees as two Tyranodrones held him up. His hands and feet were still bound together as his head hung low.

"I'm not… telling you… anything!" Tommy replied, practically yelling his final word. Mesogog sent a beam of energy at Tommy's skull again, causing him to yell like Andros had heard him do just minutes earlier. The Tyranodrones let go of him as he fell to the floor. Mesogog continued on for almost a minute before finally letting up. By this point, Tommy had almost become unconscious again.

"I must know the location… of this celebration they're having…"

Lord Zedd spoke up. "We'll find it, Mesogog…. Our plan will work this time."

"We should send Tyranodrones out to follow one of those power pukes to the location."

"Excellent idea… Divatox…" Mesogog replied, calming down some.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Rita asked loudly.

"Yeah, we're done with him for now." Trakeena sneered as she looked back down at Tommy.

Andros saw them advance toward the door. He ran back down the hall to the first door and got inside before anyone could notice. 'Please just walk past me.' He kept mentally pleading. And they did. The group walked right past him again, discussing their plans as they made their way back to the main room of the building. Andros sighed with relief as he poked his head back out into the hall, making sure it was all clear.

"Alright Tommy… I'm coming." He said as he ran back toward the fourth room. Andros opened the creaky metal door and went inside. It was dark in the room now but after motioning forward a few steps the dim light illuminated and his first obstacle presented itself. Andros quickly counted ten Tyranodrones in front of him and one of them was holding the key to Tommy's cell.

"Well… this isn't all that fair." Andros commented before going after the creature with the keys. But of course it would be awhile before he made it to that one as the rest of the Tyranodrones fought him like there was no tomorrow. 'Man… these guys are a lot stronger than the goons I had to fight back in the day.' He thought before knocking two more down.

Tommy was still lying on the cold stone floor inside of the cell, unaware of what was happening in the room. Andros was fighting as best as he could but he was seriously outnumbered. A Tyranodrone punched him in the stomach as three others held him. The force of the punch pushed him into the wall nearest him. He fell, but immediately got back up clenching his stomach at the spot where he had been punched.

He went back to the fight, determined on getting himself and Tommy out of there. But little did Andros know… his plans were about to go horribly wrong.


End file.
